1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is relates to a method for manufacturing a light-emitting panel and more particularly to a web fabrication process for manufacturing a light-emitting panel.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of different methods have been used or proposed for construction of plasma panel display devices in which a plasma-forming gas is enclosed between sets of electrodes which are used to excite the plasma. In one type of plasma display panel, wire electrodes are placed on the surfaces of parallel plates of glass so that they are spaced uniformly apart. The plates are then sealed together at the outer edges with the plasma forming gas filling the cavity formed between the parallel plates. Although widely used, this type of open display structure suffers from numerous disadvantages. The sealing of the outer edges of the parallel plates and the introduction of the plasma forming gas are both expensive and time-consuming processes, resulting in a costly end product. In addition, it is particularly difficult to achieve a good seal at the sites where the electrodes are fed through the ends of the parallel plates, which can result in gas leakage and a shortened product life. Another disadvantage is that individual pixels are not segregated within the parallel plates. As a result, gas ionization activity in a selected pixel during a write operation may spill over to adjacent pixels, thereby raising the undesirable prospect of possibly igniting adjacent pixels. Even if adjacent pixels are not ignited, the ionization activity can change the turn-on and turn-off characteristics of the nearby pixels.
In another type of known plasma display, individual pixels are mechanically isolated either by forming trenches in one of the parallel plates or by adding a perforated insulating layer sandwiched between the parallel plates. These mechanically isolated pixels, however, are not completely enclosed or isolated from one another because there is a need for the free passage of the plasma forming gas between the pixels to assure uniform gas pressure throughout the panel. While this type of display structure decreases spill over, spill over is still possible because the pixels are not in total electrical isolation from one another. In addition, in this type of display panel it is difficult to properly align the electrodes and the gas chambers, which may cause pixels to misfire. As with the open display structure, it is also difficult to get a good seal at the plate edges. Furthermore, it is expensive and time consuming to introduce the plasma producing gas and seal the outer edges of the parallel plates.
In yet another type of known plasma display, individual pixels are also mechanically isolated between parallel plates. In this type of display, the plasma forming gas is contained in transparent spheres formed of a closed transparent shell. Various methods have been used to contain the gas filled spheres between the parallel plates. In one method, spheres of varying sizes are tightly bunched and randomly distributed throughout a single layer, and sandwiched between the parallel plates. In a second method, spheres are embedded in a sheet of transparent dielectric material and that material is then sandwiched between the parallel plates. In a third method, a perforated sheet of electrically nonconductive material is sandwiched between the parallel plates with the gas filled spheres distributed in the perforations.
While each of the types of displays discussed above are based on different design concepts, the manufacturing approach used in their fabrication is generally the same: a batch fabrication process. It would be desirable to simplify and streamline the manufacturing process and to eliminate at least a portion of the steps which can have a negative impact on process yield and/or cost. The present invention is directed to such a method.